


Rearrange Us

by enigmaticblue



Category: Eureka
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-12
Updated: 2011-02-12
Packaged: 2017-10-15 14:50:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/161906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The second time's the charm in this case. AU after S2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rearrange Us

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a Secret Santa Christmas exchange awhile back. I'm finally getting around to posting it here.

Although this marked Jack Carter’s second Christmas in Eureka, it was his first Global Dynamics holiday party. From what he’d heard, the parties generally involved a lot of alcohol and a number of the scientists making fools of themselves.

 

Jack sipped his beer and tugged at the collar of his dress shirt; he might be present to keep the peace and confiscate keys when necessary, but Allison had informed him that formal wear was required.

 

He spotted Jo across the room with Zane, both of them looking unusually polished. Twinkle lights lined the ceiling of City Hall, and the air was filled with the smell of pine from the fresh swags that hung over the door and around the room.

 

Scientists from GD and various members of their family and the community stood around the room, glasses of eggnog, punch, wine, or beer in hand. More than a few had busied themselves at the buffet table; Jack had already made one trip, and Vincent had clearly outdone himself.

 

Jack had been trained to watch people, and he did so now, cataloging stages of inebriation, and possible sources of conflict. Fargo appeared to be involved in an intense conversation with one of the veterinarians, and Seth and Larry were in opposite corners, which made Jack feel a little better.

 

“Jack!”

 

He turned to see Allison moving toward him through the crowd. She wore a stunning red dress, her hair loose around her face. People made way for her immediately, and she touched his arm in a gesture of welcome. “I’m glad you could make it.”

 

“Zoe wanted to come,” Jack responded. “She never would have forgiven me if I hadn’t.”

 

Allison smiled. “Even so, it’s good to see you.”

 

Jack shifted uncomfortably and changed the subject. He still wasn’t quite sure where he stood with Allison now that she wasn’t seeing Nathan, and he’d given up trying to figure it out. “So, anything I need to worry about tonight?”

 

“Nothing I know of.” She laughed. “Relax, Carter. Enjoy the party.”

 

“I’ll try,” he promised.

 

“Have some eggnog,” she encouraged him.

 

Jack held up his glass, still half-full. “I’ve got what I need right here.”

 

Allison’s gaze moved just past his shoulder, and she sighed. “Excuse me. I need to speak with Dr. Young.”

 

“Sure.” Jack paused to enjoy the view as she walked away, then began to make another circuit of the room, stopping to greet various people he knew.

 

Jack had just finished a conversation with a newly-returned Henry when he spotted Dr. Lucinda Barnes across the room, staring at a spot just above his head. Jack glanced up, wondering what she’d seen, and realized that he’d unwittingly stopped under one of the sprigs of mistletoe that were hovering over the crowd.

 

Dr. Barnes had been showing some interest in him lately, but her voice drove Jack up the wall; there was no way he was going to let her catch him now. It would just encourage her, and _that_ would be a very bad thing. There were a few people Jack wouldn’t mind catching him, but Dr. Barnes definitely didn’t make the short list.

 

“Oh, crap,” he muttered. With a sense of panic, Jack turned to make his escape, immediately running into a very hard chest.

 

“I’d ask if you were drunk, but I know you’re always this clumsy.” Stark shook red wine from his hand where it had sloshed out of his glass and grimaced when he saw the stain on the edge of his white cuff. “What’s your hurry, Sheriff?”

 

Jack glanced up, and Stark followed his gaze, both eyebrows rising as he spotted the green sprig. “Huh.”

 

Jack forced a smile. “Excuse me.”

 

He had every intention of making his escape when Jo’s voice caught him, “Well, Chief, looks like Dr. Stark caught you under the mistletoe fair and square. Or is it the other way around?”

 

Jack felt his face flush as more eyes turned to look at them; there was no way she could know that Stark made his short list, even if he’d had no intention of acting on his attraction. Stark appeared highly amused by the situation. “You’re not scared, are you, Sheriff?”

 

Well aware that a retreat at this point would leave Stark with exactly that impression, and that any denials would simply reinforce the idea, Jack stood his ground. “No, I’m not.”

 

“Well?” Stark responded archly. “I’m waiting.”

 

Jack glanced around, seeing that Allison and Henry had drifted over, probably because they were worried about potential bloodshed. Zoe stared at him with her “don’t you dare embarrass me” expression, her hand gripping Lucas’ arm as though to brace herself for potentially mortal humiliation.

 

Looking back at Stark, the scientist’s grin had broadened, and was even more smug, and Jack abruptly decided to throw caution to the wind. Just once, he’d like to come out on top, and it was obvious that Stark believed Jack would turn tail and run, leaving Stark to look like the adventurous one.

 

The hell with that.

 

Jack reached up to grip the back of Stark’s neck, pulling his head down for a kiss, meeting Stark’s lips with his own, and refusing to take the easy way out with a kiss on the cheek.

 

Thoughts flickered through his head: Stark’s beard was softer than he expected, so were his lips, and by the time Stark began to respond, Jack had begun to think that he was way more turned on by kissing Stark than he wanted to be.

 

That thought caused him to break off the kiss, giving thanks that Allison had insisted on formalwear, since the suit jacket hid his rather obvious excitement.

 

Still, the completely stunned expression on Stark’s face was worth his discomfort, worth the lecture from Zoe he knew was coming, even worth the inevitable rumors. For once, Jack was one up on the great Nathan Stark.

 

Deciding that anything he might say would be too much, Jack just grinned and turned to face the wrath of Zoe, who grabbed his arm and began dragging him away. “What were you _thinking_?” she demanded.

 

“Did you see the look on Stark’s face?” Jack replied. “I finally made him speechless. Besides, it was a thing.”

 

“A thing.” Zoe gave him a look.

 

“Mistletoe,” Jack clarified. “I wasn’t going to pass up a dare from Stark.”

 

“God, Dad,” Zoe groaned. “Seriously? You two are going to get each other killed one of these days if you keep competing like that.”

 

Jack just grinned, still pleased with himself, and thinking that he wouldn’t mind competing with Stark in a completely different arena.

 

Too bad that was never going to happen.

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan Stark hated to admit it, but Jack’s kiss had been on his mind for the past week, ever since the Christmas party. He’d heard rumors that a lot of people had changed their bets with Vincent, putting money on him and the sheriff hooking up.

 

Nathan knew he’d asked for it; he’d issued a blatant challenge, believing that Carter wouldn’t have the guts to go through with it, only to wind up very surprised.

 

And very turned on.

 

Shaking the snow off of his collar, Nathan entered Café Diem and strode to the counter. “Hi, Vincent.”

 

“Dr. Stark.” Vincent gave him an assessing look. “Coffee this morning?”

 

“Please. I need something to warm up.”

 

Vincent smiled. “You can’t beat a white Christmas.”

 

“No, I suppose not,” Nathan murmured. He wasn’t particularly looking forward to spending the holiday alone this year, but with Allison and Kevin going out of town to visit her mom, there wasn’t another option.

 

The door of Café Diem opened, and Carter stalked in, bringing a gust of cold air and snow with him. Nathan’s eyebrows went up when he saw the scowl on the sheriff’s face. Carter’s step was decidedly free of any bounce, and Nathan frowned.

 

“Vincent! Can I get a cup of coffee?” Carter called impatiently, with no sign of his usual courtesy.

 

“Be right with you, Sheriff,” Vincent replied, handing Nathan his cup. “Here you are, Dr. Stark.”

 

Nathan sat down on one of the stools. “Actually, I think I’ll stay for breakfast.”

 

“I’ll be right back,” Vincent promised, scurrying to get Carter’s coffee. “Anything else I can do for you, Sheriff?”

 

“No. Thanks,” Carter said almost as an afterthought, then headed back outside without even a glance at Nathan.

 

“What’s up with the sheriff?” Nathan asked, knowing that Vincent would know.

 

Vincent shook his head. “Zoe’s spending Christmas with Abby in Los Angeles. Sheriff Carter told her he was fine with it, but she left yesterday, and—well, you could see for yourself.”

 

Nathan made a noncommittal sound, not particularly wanting to admit to how closely he’d been watching the sheriff.

 

“Maybe you two should spend the holiday together?” Vincent suggested archly. “Eureka’s two most eligible bachelors shouldn’t be alone over the holidays.”

 

“I’ll be holding down the fort at GD,” Nathan replied. “I don’t think I’ll have much time for celebration.”

 

Vincent gave him a knowing look, but said only, “We’re open for dinner Christmas Eve, Dr. Stark, if you’re interested.”

 

Nathan thanked him without committing to anything, then ordered breakfast and pulled out his PDA to check his schedule for the day. Carter stayed on his mind through breakfast, and the last minute meetings before various employees left for the holiday, and even while Nathan worked his way through the mound of paperwork on his desk.

 

The problem, Nathan reflected, was that as memorable as Carter’s kiss was, he’d been too startled to truly enjoy it. As a scientist, he needed more data to decide whether it was a singular event, or something that could be repeated. And yet, Nathan refused to let Jack know how much he’d enjoyed that moment under the mistletoe.

 

Nathan needed to find a way to shift the dynamic between them, and he was determined that their second kiss was going to be better than the first.

 

The building was quiet and nearly deserted by six o’clock. Although GD was usually a 24/7 operation, all but a few of its employees were at home with their families for the next 48 hours. It was one of the reasons Nathan was at the office—he didn’t have to deal with the constant interruptions he normally faced.

 

There was a brief knock on the door before Carter stuck his head in. “Stark? Can I get a minute?”

 

“Speaking of interruptions,” Nathan muttered, but he waved the sheriff inside. “What’s up?”

 

“I was clearing my desk and I found a few permits we need to discuss.” Carter wore a carefully neutral expression that Nathan found hard to read.

 

Nathan leaned back in his chair, raising an eyebrow, and working to keep his tone cool. “Isn’t that Allison’s job?”

 

“Allison is out of town.” Jack’s tone was waspish. “And this is about safety protocols for a couple of the off-site labs, which is more your thing than hers.”

 

Nathan held out a hand for the sheaf of papers Carter held, and the sheriff handed them over, slumping down in a chair across from the desk. For a moment, the neutral mask Carter wore slipped, and Nathan could see wariness mixed with something that could only be termed misery.

 

Pretending to peruse the permit requests, Nathan watched Carter carefully, seeing the other man close his eyes and lean his head against the back of the chair. Nathan couldn’t prevent the sudden, hot spike of attraction.

 

Forcibly turning his attention to the matter at hand, Nathan quickly scanned the requests. “I don’t see what the problem is here.”

 

“The problem is that there aren’t as many safety protocols for the off-site labs,” Carter replied irritably, without opening his eyes. “At least one of those experiments stands a really good chance of blowing up, probably at the worst possible time.”

 

“Which one?” Nathan asked. “There are risks with all three; that’s the price you pay for science.”

 

Carter finally opened his eyes. “Do you really want to have this argument now? Just—look at them, okay? Do what you can.”

 

Nathan blinked, surprised at the utter weariness in Carter’s voice. “I’ll see what I can do.”

 

“Fine.” Carter pushed himself out of the chair. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I—”

 

Whatever he had been going to say about the plans for the evening was interrupted by the alarms going off and the containment shields coming down, sealing them in. “Oh, crap.” Carter looked around, as though he could figure out what had caused the problem. “On Christmas Eve? Seriously?”

 

“That’s why I’m still here,” Nathan shot back. “Hang on.”

 

His fingers danced over the touch pad, trying to determine where the problem was coming from. “One of the labs on level 3 had a containment breach for an experimental drug.”

 

“Oh, gee, what a surprise,” Carter muttered. “So, what? We’re stuck in here?”

 

“Until the air scrubbers clear it out, yes.” Nathan leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Luckily, we seem to be the only ones in the building.”

 

Carter rubbed his eyes, then wandered over to the couch, collapsing back into the cushions. “Sometimes I really hate this place.”

 

“Why didn’t you go back to L.A. with Zoe?” Nathan asked, the words coming out of his mouth before he thought better of them.

 

“Probably for the same reason you didn’t go with Allison and Kevin to visit her mother,” Jack shot back.

 

Nathan’s eyebrows shot up. “Abby’s mother doesn’t like you?”

 

Carter blinked, then smiled ruefully. “No, actually, she doesn’t. But Abby’s new boyfriend _really_ doesn’t like me.”

 

“And, as you can see, someone has to stay to make sure GD doesn’t blow up over the holiday weekend,” Nathan pointed out.

 

Carter shrugged. “Jo was visiting her dad and brothers this weekend. One of us had to stay, and with Zoe in L.A., it made sense for me to be the one.”

 

A comfortable silence fell, and Nathan made an impulsive decision to pull out the bottle of scotch that resided in his bottom drawer. He hadn’t eaten anything all day, which meant that the alcohol was going to hit him hard, but Nathan thought this might give him the chance to experiment.

 

Maybe he would even succeed at changing the dynamic between the two of them.

 

Jack watched him with narrowed eyes, but he didn’t protest as Nathan sat down next to him on the couch and poured two shots. “I hope you like scotch. I don’t have any beer.”

 

“This will do.” Carter sipped, his eyebrows rising appreciatively. “This is the good stuff.”

 

“You thought I’d keep the cheap shit around?”

 

Carter snorted. “That’s right, this is you we’re talking about. One of your suits probably costs more than I make in a year.”

 

“And I look damn good in them.”

 

Nathan knew that he was shamelessly angling for a compliment, but he had to fight back a blush when Carter looked him up and down in a way that was far too suggestive for his peace of mind.

 

“I think your ego might actually be too big to fit inside GD at this point, Stark,” was all Carter would say, before taking another sip of his scotch.

 

“Nathan.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Come on, Jack.” Nathan was ready to take this to the next level if Carter couldn’t be prodded into doing it. “You were the one who kissed me. You can call me Nathan.”

 

Carter remained silent for a moment before he shrugged. “It was a dare.”

 

“Was that all it was?” Nathan leaned forward, turning an intense gaze on Carter, pleased when the sheriff began to squirm. “Nothing more?”

 

“And I didn’t want you to win,” Carter admitted in a low voice.

 

Nathan moved closer. “There’s no one here to notice if you win or not.”

 

“Other than you,” Carter responded dryly. “And you’d never let me live it down.”

 

“Maybe it’s not about winning anymore,” Nathan admitted. “Maybe it’s about getting what I want.”

 

“And what do you want?” Carter’s voice was barely above a whisper.

 

Nathan moved just a little closer, now only a few centimeters away from Jack. “I want what’s between us to change. I want a different dynamic. I want _this_.”

 

He moved in, capturing Jack’s lips with his own in a gentle kiss, not wanting to push too hard. Jack’s free hand came up to tangle in his hair, pulling him closer. Nathan’s thumb brushed Jack’s cheek, feeling the faint stubble, tasting scotch with a certain sweetness.

 

When Nathan pulled back, he smirked. “I was right. It was much better the second time.”

 

Jack kept a straight face. “I don’t know. I think I liked the first one better.”

 

Nathan was about to make a sharp retort when an alarm sounded again, and Jack stood up, startled. “What the—”

 

The containment shields went back up, and Nathan leaned back against the couch. “Looks like you’re free to go, Sheriff.”

 

“I guess I am.” Carter stuck his hands in his pockets. “The question is whether you’re going to leave with me.”

 

Nathan smiled slowly. “Vincent did say he was serving dinner at Café Diem tonight, and my place is only a few blocks away.”

 

Jack looked at Nathan. “What are we doing, Nathan?”

 

“I hope we’re having a good time.” Nathan grinned. “What do you want?”

 

“I think I want dinner and a beer, and not to spend Christmas alone.” Jack raised an eyebrow. “You think you can help me with that?”

 

“I can do better than that,” Nathan promised, and he moved in for another kiss, intending to prove it.

 

It turned out that the third time was even better.


End file.
